Visiting The Beekman 1802 Farm
You may recall Dr. Brent Ridge, a physician who is the former Vice President of Healthy Living for MSLO. Brent has made several appearances on my television show, discussing health issues. In 2007, he and his partner, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, a New York Times best-selling author, bought the Beekman 1802 farm and Brent left his post to live at the farm fulltime. The property is nestled in the charming town of Sharon Springs, New York, two hundred miles north of New York City. Brent and Josh keep about eighty goats, two pigs, a dozen chickens, and even a llama. Brent uses the milk from these goats to make natural soaps and cheese. He also has a charming shop in town where he sells those and other products. The transition from city to farm life caught the attention of Planet Green, who created the fun reality show, The Fabulous Beekman Boys. We paid a visit to the farm recently to congratulate Brent and Josh on their brand new book called The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook, which features favorite family recipes. Enjoy this little tour of the farm!
1 The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook is Brent and Josh's first cookbook, featuring favorite family recipes. There are many blank pages for personal notes, so that new ideas can be passed down to the next generation.
2 Fruits and vegetables from their own garden are featured in the cookbook in painterly displays. Photo by Paulette Tavormina
3 Here are Josh and Brent at their farm with some of their beloved goats. Photo courtesy of Beekman 1802
4 The house, originally built by William Beekman in 1802, is a Georgian Palladiun style. It is more than 5,000 square feet and the property is nearly 60 acres.
5 A stunning view from the back porch—the farm is located in Mohawk Valley, in between the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains.
6 The Mohawk Valley played a key role during the French and Indian Wars, as it provided a passageway to the Great Lakes.
7 The house, itself, had been restored partially by the previous owners and then by Josh and Brent. The dining room table was built by Brent and presented to Josh on his 40th birthday.
8 This is a terrarium made by their blacksmith, Michael McCarthy, and is a scale replica of the Beekman house. More of Michael's work can be found at the Beekman shop.
9 Brent feels there is a strong possibility that ghosts are present in the house. 'Mary,' carved into one of the original floorboards, is a favorite topic of discussion among ghost hunters, who visit this old structure.
10 The interior decor is styled with a modern-meets-vintage eclecticism, mixing old and new pieces together.
11 This ornate and once-gilded mirror, has been painted a modern, flat orange and is the focal point of the living room.
12 Brent and Josh have filled their home with historical objects, referencing the time period and the location of the house.
13 A period map of the United States
14 And an old map of the town of Sharon
15 They especially love to collect books written in the early 1800s.
16 A new piece by a local artisan - The intricate design on this vase was made by pressing strands of goat hair into the clay before the first firing. The hair burns off leaving singed markings. The piece was then glazed and fired again.
17 This antique 'square' piano is in excellent condition and sits prominently in the music room.
18 It has such beautiful mother-of-pearl inlay and original ivory keys!
19 The previous owners of Beekman 1802 took great care to restore as much of the original detail as possible.
20 For example, they installed this fantastic banister, all carved from one single piece of wood.
21 Brent and Josh have added their own charming touches, like this gaggle of geese poised in the upstairs hallway.
22 The four guest bedrooms in this five bedroom house, each have their own unique style.
23 This piece of folk art is made from dried beans and is displayed in an elaborate frame.
24 In the master bedroom, silver candelabras and bowls are grouped together on an antique table.
25 This finial used to sit atop a building.
26 Another guest bedroom, dubbed the Flower Room, began with the existing floral wallpaper.
27 The mantle features a pair of unique painted metal flower sculptures.
28 They complement the table lamps quite nicely.
29 In Josh's writing room, old portraits hang for inspiration.
30 Each room has bits of history.
31 Brent said he and Josh found this metal bed on sale for five dollars!
32 The attic reveals the true structure of the house. These large hand-hewn beams are held together by wooden pegs.
33 Each length of wood was hewn to a perfect fit. Carved Roman numerals marked the beams so that the correct pieces were matched together.
34 This photo hangs in the attic depicting what the interior looked like before restoration. The structure sat empty for nearly fifty years. Looks a little scary and a bit abused!
35 And speaking of scary - the property also features a crypt! If a house occupant died during the winter, when the ground was frozen, his or her body was kept in the crypt until burial was possible in the spring.
36 The crypt was built into the side of a hill to shield the entrance from snow buildup. Actual human bones, found on the farm, have been placed between the stones of the crypt.
37 The Beekman family headstones and some other bones have been moved from outside and placed in the crypt. Brent pointed out a jawbone and tooth, possibly from a Beekman family member or from one of their servants.
38 Brent read aloud the inscriptions of some of the headstones that included the causes of death, such as 'a sleigh going over him.'
39 Up the hill from the crypt are the paddocks where the goats graze and exercise.
40 Windspire, a vertical axis windmill, helps provide natural wind power to the farm. The winds in this area of the Mohawk Valley average ten miles per hour, making a windmill very functional.
41 Next to the barn is a large wood pile for the numerous fireplaces inside the house.
42 Behind the wood pile is where the two pigs live.
43 They are definitely not shy and hop up to greet everyone walking by!
44 When not outside, this is where the goats live. All of the kids born in the spring are sectioned off in one pen of the barn.
45 Goats are very curious and social.
46 Goats, like horses, cattle, and deer, have horizontal pupils, which grant them superior depth perception.
47 It's mating season for goats and this pen contained all the females in heat and one male. Gestation period is about five months, so any females impregnated now will give birth in early spring.
48 Males drag their beard through their own urine to attract females, so you can imagine how musky it smelled in here!
49 Chance, another stud, was taking a break from his duties.
50 Both male and female goats have beards.
51 All of their goats are tagged, in case they wander off.
52 Easily identified amongst the goats is PolkaSpot, the llama. Like goats, llamas are incredibly social and curious creatures. PolkaSpot has never been shy around a camera!
53 PolkaSpot, like many llamas are very protective of goats.
54 They also keep several barn cats, who quell the rodent population.
55 Michael Whaling, artist and friend, built the rock wall that surrounds the garden from local stones. He also wrote a book on the process, called The Garden Wall at Beekman Farm.
56 He included many details, like inset birdbaths.
57 He also included two benches in the corners. His book is available for purchase at http://shop.beekman1802.com/The-Garden-Wall-at-Beekman-Farm-GGH-9.htm
58 Because it's the end of the growing season, white sheets cover some frames to protect from early frost. The raised garden beds extend the gardening season because the soil in them warms up faster than the ground.
59 Red and golden raspberries were still growing and were very sweet off the vine.
60 The garden flourishes in the spring, as shown in this photo courtesy of Beekman 1802.
61 Brent and Josh eat everything grown at their farm. They also sell some produce, goat's milk soap, goat cheese, and other products at their shop in town. Photo courtesy of Beekman 1802
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Will they give up the info about the stunning floral duvet and pillows on the bed? Reallllly beautiful! MB~
Posted by: Miri | November 7th, 2011 at 2:07 am
Good morning Martha Happy Monday. Thank you for this amazing and very intering tour in The Beekman 1802 Farm. Congratulations on their new cookbook, I will order it from Amazon UK. Wish you a wonderful and success week. xo
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | November 7th, 2011 at 5:22 am
I love Brent and Josh. I feature them often on my blog and a couple years ago I took my mom to Sharon Springs. Josh invited us to the house and we had sparkling cider (homemade of course) and some of their delicious Beekman Blaak cheese after a tour of the farm and the house. They were just wrapping up filming for the show for the holidays. They are such spirited, determined fellows - and so kind. I'm proud to call them friends. The new book is wonderful! It's interactive with spaces to include your own heirloom recipes and spaces for notes along the sides of the pages where you can add comments about the various recipes. We sell it at Anthropologie, along with their soaps.
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | November 7th, 2011 at 8:01 am
Good morning Martha,
What a beautiful farm and as usual, great pictures. I can only imagine how much Brent and Josh enjoy the Beekman Farm.
Karen
Posted by: Karen Tracy | November 7th, 2011 at 8:06 am
thanks for that Martha. You might want to check out the Manchester Farm in Pennsylvania. My cousin Margie Manchester Pagliarulo runs it and is now producing fine milk that she sells locally also. Its an historic farm much like the Beekman. you are the best Martha. I enjoy all your works. :^)) I would love to work for you. I am a chef.
Posted by: Kalen Quin | November 7th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 7th, 2011 at 9:14 am
I love the modern look mixed with vintage, it's my favorite. The house is extraordinary. Thanks for sharing your visit to the Beekman 1802 Farm. I would love to visit their shop, I'm a fan of goat's milk soap. I buy them at farmer's markets when I can or at whole foods. I just purchased a lavender goats milk soap and it smells devine!
Posted by: Cindy F | November 7th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Hi Martha, How nice to see these two delightful fellows again! Brent and Josh are certainly brilliant, crafty, artistic, special fellows who have a beautiful farm with wonderful animals that they love! These photos and comments are fantastic and the historical information is superb! They must be great workers who have certainly improved that historical farm, have created a great shop in town and beautiful products plus fantastic books by Josh! This certainly would be a fun place to visit! Thanks for their terrific websites-will watch them on TV again! What a beautiful country side with a gorgeous paddock, cute, charming pigs, goats, and that charming protector of goats, Polka Spot the llama! Everything there is amazing! Also love their gardens with those wooden frames-beautiful! Hope you have another great day, Martha! Thanks so much for sharing again! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 7th, 2011 at 10:37 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for the tour of the fabulous Beekman House – I’ve seen pictures here and there of the outside and of the goats so it was nice to see some of the inside. I couldn’t watch their show on TV because I didn’t have the channel it aired on. What a great house though and it was definitely built to last! I was amazed to read that it sat empty for 50 years – I’m surprised someone didn’t demolish it. Josh and Brent certainly took a giant leap didn’t they, and they made it work - gutsy for sure! Margaret Roach is another person that comes to mind. I visited their shop online using the link you provided and was going to get some heirloom seeds but they were out of stock. Hopefully they’ll have more later on before planting season starts but I’ll have to bookmark that page so I won’t forget. Thanks again for this most interesting blog. Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 7th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Hi Martha! thankyou so much for all that you do in helping us to make our homes wonderful. I have a copy of the Beekman Heirloom Cookbook and it is fabulous. Really produced in the way that my American ancesters passed down recipes ( by writing them down and leaving them to the next generation). Hallmark should consider hosting their show at some point.
Posted by: denise | November 7th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Great pics of Brent and Josh wonderful place.I tried to win this cookbook on Margaret Roach's site but guess I did not..Would have loved to add it to my vast collection. Yes it is wonderful that this place has been saved for all of us to enjoy at a time when much vintage property is being destroyed.
Posted by: ann | November 7th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
MISS MARTHA ALWAYS ENJOY ALL YOUR BLOGS...DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH THE BEEKMAN REALITY SHOW, BUT HAVE ENJOYED THEIR WEBSITE, AND READING MANY ARTICLES ABOUT THEM....LOVED ALL THE PICTURES OF THE HOUSE AND SURRONDING FARM, BUT ESPECIALLY ENJOYED ALL THE ANIMALS...THEIR BEAUTIFUL FACES, AND INQUISITIVE EYES WERE JUST A JOY! THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
Posted by: Debbie Wood | November 7th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
A beautiful insdiders view of their space. They always offer up an inspiring approach. Thanks for the coverage!
Larry
Posted by: Larry Ruhl | November 7th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Martha....cooking is great and there are many networks to see someone cooking, besides your show, but crafting has been stifled. We need a crafting network..... Come on Martha, you can do it
Posted by: Susanne | November 7th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
The geese in the hallway are a hoot, until I charged down the stairs being chased or visited by one of the ghosts. Might be hard on my toes and their beaks.
Did the chairs come with the birthday table or have they been showing up over several years?
And then the kitchen, with a cookbook the kitchen must be interesting considering the love attached to the rest of house and farm
Posted by: Margie | November 7th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
So happy you were able to visit The Beekman, it's on my
bucket list.
Will you be showing your visit on your show? Hope so.
Posted by: Margret Mann | November 7th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Thank you so much for sharing these lovely pictures. I've been lucky enough to meet Brent and Josh and to have visited the farm. They have always have made me feel so special each time I've met them. Their cookbook is wonderful and I hope you'll feature the cookbook and the boys sometime soon on your show.
Posted by: Susan Fiumara | November 7th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Hello Martha ~ lovely photos! As I remarked on Brent's Facebook page, someone spelled "Palladian" wrong in the caption showing the facade of the house. Not only am I a writer/editor but I'm an architectural historian so pay particular notice to these things.
Best wishes for the holidays ~ Catherine Pond
Posted by: Catherine Seiberling Pond | November 7th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
I would love to see the kitchen, and more of the walled garden. The house is beautiful!
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 7th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
I really enjoy seeing what these young men are doing and creating, it's wonderful that they are keeping this this special farm going.Thank you for this blog of the Beekman Boys!!!
Posted by: Dalene A. Parker | November 7th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Love your show. Would love to meet you
Posted by: Angle Herridge | November 7th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Hi, it's wonderful to see Brent and Josh! And of course PolkaSpot!!!
Posted by: Michelle | November 7th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
I live an hour from Sharon Springs, and enjoyed meeting Brent and Josh during harvest fest this year. I am cooking my way through their new cookbook. Three recipes that I have enjoyed so far are the Butternut Squash-Filled Lasagna Rolls, Utica Greens and Apple Butter Turnovers. I am also a big fan of their soaps and the Beekman Blaak cheese. So glad they are only an hour away!
Posted by: Debbie Cantales | November 7th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
They are living the life! What a great post. Thanks, Martha!
Posted by: Amanda at The Martha Initiative | November 7th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
I really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Karen | November 8th, 2011 at 2:57 am
I admire and like those guys and I watched their show the first season, but I lost interest after that as I do with all so-called 'reality shows'. The first seasons are authentic when nobody knows who or what they are all about - but then subsequent seasons always lose the charm for me becuase the participants seem to be 'playing up' what reviewers say made them interesting the first season and the shows lose their authenticity. I totally get why ratings slide for those shows. The 'Real Housewives' franchise is the perfect example - yes they hang on for a few seasons - but that franchise is pretty much over. I don't expect to see them back on televsision, but I love the idea of the business they are building and I've even considered a trip to Sharon Springs for a weekend to check the place out. What they have done for that town is definitely a 'good thing'.
Posted by: Will | November 9th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Good Morning Martha,
I have truly enjoyed your blog.
Your chickens are so cute
I loved the bowl of eggs that pictured the one wrinkled egg.
I would not have known why that happened if you had not mentioned the cause.
I am so happy that I can go onto your blog and read all about your amazing home and your animals etc.
Thank you Martha
Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Beverly Boisen | December 4th, 2011 at 1:19 pm